So Close
by ScarlettKate1013
Summary: Another what-if Bo and Carly story. It takes place after Hope is arrested for trying to kill Bo and for the other muggings. If Bo and Carly aren't your thing, then this story is not for you. It's also rated M.


_This was originally posted years ago at The Princess and the Sailor. If you weren't a fan of Carly Manning or of Carly and Bo as a couple, then it would not behoove you to read this. But if you have fond memories of the princess and her sailor the way that I do, I hope that this little what-if story will make you smile. This story garners a rating of M, so please keep that in mind. For the record, I do not now nor have I ever held any rights to DOOL or any of its characters. I'm just playing with the ones that they no longer wanted..._

 _So Close_

Bo sighed and turned his key in the lock of the front door. He'd been at the police station all night dealing with the revelation that Hope was the mugger. As if that weren't bad enough, he now knew that Hope had tried to kill him. The sleeping pills had robbed her of her inhibitions, but that was what frightened him the most; the animosity she felt towards him was real.

Hope harbored such deep-seated ill will for him that she had drugged him and would have burned him alive had Daniel not happened by when he had. Drugs or no, Hope's feelings were real, and she had damn near succeeded. She'd even made another attempt on his life while he lay unconscious in the hospital, and then she'd pulled a knife on him when he'd confronted her about the wallets.

Yet he couldn't shake the guilt that had washed over him when he'd been forced to read Hope her rights. She'd looked at him with those big, brown eyes, and in them he'd seen the writing on the wall. Hope blamed him. He was beginning to blame himself, too.

Stepping into the darkened house, he toed off his shoes and dropped his jacket on the couch. He'd called Carly from the station, but had intentionally kept the call short and to the point. She'd wanted to come to the station, but he'd convinced her to stay put, wanting at least one of them to get some sort of rest. Judging from the silence around him, she must still be asleep. _Good._ All he wanted was to lie next to her and hold her in his arms. Only in her embrace would the storm inside him be calmed.

At the top of the stairs, Bo was surprised to see the glow of lamplight spilling out of the open bedroom door. Carly was seated on the bed. She was dressed in worn-out jeans and a dark blue t-shirt that fit her like a second skin.

"Princess? Did you just come in from the hospital?" It was the only plausible reason his exhausted mind could summon for Carly up and dressed at 5:30 in the morning.

Carly didn't speak, only shook her head. Bo began emptying his pockets, missing the devastated expression on Carly's face. Jumping off the bed, Carly ran to Bo and threw her arms around him. Surprised at the greeting, but thrilled to at last have the woman he loved in his arms, Bo met Carly's upturned face and covered her lips with his own.

"Oh, God," he groaned in between kisses. "I've missed you. I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

Their mouths continued to meet, tongues tangling in an intense duel. Then Bo realized Carly was crying. Concerned, he pulled away and blotted her tear-stained cheeks with his thumbs.

"Princess, what's wrong? Is it Melanie? What, what has you so upset?" Her continued silence was beginning to scare him.

Then she gave him a small smile and said, "Nothing." She moved in to kiss him again, and Bo felt her fingers tugging at his belt buckle. "I need you, Bo. I need to make love with you. Now."

Clothes were discarded and sent flying across the bedroom. Bo was instantly hard for her, and when he lifted her, he could feel moisture seeping from her scorching core. Carly didn't seem too interested in foreplay, so Bo lost no time thrusting home.

Carly's passionate cry mingled with Bo's incensed groans, a litany of love heard only by the coming dawn. As their bodies met over and over, Bo could feel desperation radiating from Carly. She was almost furious in her lovemaking, and he answered her in kind. Her nails gored his back, digging into the flesh over his tattoo, leaving behind half-moon crescents in their wake.

He bit her neck, pulling a strangled scream from her throat, then used his tongue to soothe the indentions his teeth had made. His fingers dug into her hips, so hard that, days later, Carly would still be able to see the blue-tinged bruising of the proof of their union.

"Carly!" Bo shouted. "I can't, I can't hold back!"

"Don't hold back, Bo," Carly gasped. "Come to me, now!"

His body leaving him no choice in the matter, Bo obeyed Carly's command, coming inside her. She shattered to pieces with him, tears spilling from her eyes even as pleasure washed over her. Rolling over, Bo pulled Carly with him. Something caught his eye by the door, something he had failed to note when he entered the bedroom; a single suitcase, and suddenly, he understood what was happening.

"You're leaving." It was not a question.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it's what's best, for everyone."

"Not for me." Bo sat up. He was not letting Carly go without a fight.

"It is, Bo," she whispered. "I've known for a long time now that this, us, couldn't last. It's time to end it. _Before I lose my nerve."_

"Carly, what the hell are you talking about? I need you now more than ever! I've never loved anyone the way I love you. If I lose you now…"

"Bo, I'm not the one you need, and we both know it. Everything that's happened proves it."

Bo couldn't believe his own ears. "Carly, you're tired. You're scared because of what nearly happened to me. I am too, Princess! I love you, and I need you. You can't go."

But she was already going, up and moving away from him. She wouldn't look at him, wouldn't answer him. She gathered up her clothes and dressed in front of him in silence. She slipped her feet into a pair of black flip-flops and only then did she come back to the bed. Bo automatically scooted over, creating a space for her.

"Princess, please, just get back in bed. Let's go to sleep. Everything will be fine, as long as we're together."

Carly, smiling sadly, shook her head. "Not this time, baby. It's the end of our story. You belong with Hope. She's your happy ending, Bo. You and Hope are connected, through your children. Ciara needs both her parents. The three of you are a family. I'm only in the way."

In answer, Bo yanked her to him, kissing her until she literally couldn't breathe.

"That's bullshit, Carly. You're the woman I want. I chose you. I don't want to be with Hope, or anyone else. I only want you. I _love you_. Why are you doing this?"

"I love you, too, Bo. I never stopped. But you have to be with Hope."

She kissed him again, tenderly, whispering, "Goodbye."

Bo, brokenhearted and in shock, could only watch her go. Giving into the urge to weep, Bo whispered to the empty house, "Princess, we were so close."

 _The Faceless Days..._

It had been three weeks since Carly had walked away from Bo.

Three weeks, two days, four hours, ten minutes and twenty-three seconds, to be exact, and each and every moment had ticked by at a snail's pace.

Bo had called. He'd sent text messages, emails, left countless voice mails on her cell and work phones, but she had not responded to any of them. Bo ended each message in the same manner, "I love you, Princess, please." Carly may have ignored each attempt on Bo's part to contact her, but she couldn't forget any of them.

She knew he was hurting. Her heart was broken, too. Carly wanted nothing more than to run to Bo and hold him and never let him go. But she had to be strong. She had to do what was best for Bo. And what was best for Bo was Hope. It didn't matter that her own heart would never recover from the loss of the love of her life. Carly would do the right thing, even if it killed her.

She loved Bo too much to keep him from his wife and family any longer. All she had to do was stay out of the picture. Hope would get the help she needed, Bo would see to it. Then he and Hope and Ciara would be a family once more.

Carly dropped her head to her desk and buried her face in her arms.

Three weeks, two days, four hours, twelve minutes and three seconds without Bo by her side, down, the rest of her life to go.

...

Bo lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Ciara was finally asleep. He'd managed to get her to stay at school today without a meltdown – a major accomplishment as the past few weeks had been filled with teary tantrums and sullen silences. She missed her mother and didn't understand why she couldn't be with Hope.

Bo could sympathize with his little girl, but it wasn't Hope that he was missing. There was a gaping wound in his chest where his heart used to reside. He'd given his heart to Carly, and she'd taken it with her when she'd left three weeks ago.

Three weeks, two days, sixteen hours, twenty-three minutes and nine seconds ago, actually. He'd called her a thousand times, but his calls went unreturned. There had been no responses to his emails or texts, either. He'd taken to dropping by the hospital, too, only to be informed by some nurse or orderly that, "Dr. Manning was here a minute ago. You _just_ missed her."

He'd gotten those lines from Daniel just that afternoon, when the surgeon had found him pounding on Carly's office door. He'd glowered at Daniel, barely restraining the urge to put his fist through the door, and had stalked off to sulk at the station.

He'd managed to avoid all the "well-meaning" members of his family for the remainder of the afternoon and skipped the daily sessions he'd been making to the county jail to visit Hope, where she was awaiting her final sentencing. Nothing good had come from those visits, either, but he felt obligated to check on her. After all, three children and twenty-five years of history lay between them.

But he was sick to his soul of hearing Hope say with her mouth that this was all her fault, while in her eyes shone accusatory blame all for him and Carly. When he had admitted to her that Carly had left him, she'd all but laughed at his pain; then she'd had the audacity to suggest that if Bo would speak to the judge on her behalf and help her get out of jail, they could once again be a family.

So no more visits to Hope, unless it was because he was forced to take his daughter. Since Hope had thus far insisted, and rightly so, that the last thing Ciara needed was to see her mother behind bars, Bo felt that he had earned a reprieve from the much-despised visits.

But now he was left to toss and turn in the bed that was lonely without Carly, aching for his Princess and waiting for the sun to rise on Week Three, Day Three of his life without her.

...

Morning had come at last, and Carly had shuffled mindlessly through her normal routine. She and Adrienne, with whom she'd been living, had gone for a run together down by the waterfront. The five-mile run had begun as penance for the all-night drinking binge they'd gone on when Carly had knocked on Adrienne's door the morning she'd left Bo.

Adrienne, good friend that she was, had offered Carly a room and a shoulder. When Carly had come in from the hospital after her shift that afternoon, Adrienne had offered pizza, ice cream and _Grey Goose_ martinis. The pizza had gone mostly untouched, but they'd made short work of the Chunky Monkey and the martinis. Coming to the next morning, they'd flushed their systems with black coffee and water and gone for a run to clear their heads. Three weeks later, they were up to five miles, and martinis were limited to one night a week.

Carly strolled up to the nurses' station to begin her shift and found Daniel bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet, wearing an idiotic grin.

"What's got you so excited?" Carly asked as she studied her friend.

The idiotic grin got even wider, if possible, just before Daniel blurted, "I felt the baby kick this morning! Carly, my son kicked and I felt it for the first time!"

Carly immediately beamed back and hugged Daniel. "That's great! I'm so happy for you, Daniel." And she was. The paternity test had revealed that Chloe's baby was not only Daniel's, but also a boy. Of course, Daniel only knew that he and Chloe were having a boy, thanks to the ultrasound Carly had performed at Chloe's request last week. Carly, true to her word, was going to carry the paternity issue to her grave.

"It was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced!" Daniel gushed on oblivious to Carly's mental drifting.

"I really am happy for you and Chloe."

"I know you are, and you've been such a great friend to Chloe. It means so much that you two are close now."

Carly only nodded, afraid her face, as it was wont to do, might give away something. She reached past Daniel for a chart and started towards her office. Daniel grabbed her arm, halting her exit.

"Hey, what's going on with you?" he asked, instantly concerned.

"Nothing. I'm sorry, I just…" she trailed off, unsure of how to put into words what she was feeling.

"You miss Bo," Daniel said, and Carly nodded. "He came by yesterday afternoon again. He was about to break down your office door when I told him you'd already gone for the day."

"Bo shouldn't be worried about me," said Carly. "He needs to focus on helping Hope and repairing his marriage, for the sake of his family."

"Carly, Bo loves you, and you love him. Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"It doesn't matter what I feel, Daniel," Carly insisted, her agitation growing. "Bo is married to Hope, and they belong together. I'm just trying to get on with my life, and if you're really my friend, you'll drop the subject of Bo, got it?" Those emerald eyes were flashing jade fire, and Daniel knew that Carly's walls were up. There'd be no breaching of those barriers, not now, anyway. Letting go of her arm, Daniel stepped back, raising his hands in a position of surrender.

"Hey, consider it dropped."

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a floor full of patients to visit." Whirling on her heel, Carly turned from Daniel and strode purposely towards the room of her first patient.

...

Bo stared at his mother across the table as they sat in the relatively empty pub. She insisted on hovering over him while he ate his dinner, making him feel like a five-year-old. His own five-year-old was happily curled in one of the vacant booths, coloring away after having finished her own dinner.

"Ma!" Bo finally said, dropping his fork to his plate. "Will you stop hovering?"

"I am _not_ hovering!" Caroline Brady retorted. "I only want to make sure that my son is eating well and taking care of himself. Need I remind you that you _are_ all alone and raising a daughter?"

Bo exhaled sharply through his nose and his teeth clenched involuntarily. "I wouldn't _be_ raising my daughter _alone_ if you and every other goddamned person in this town would have stayed outta my relationship with Carly!"

"Relationship?" Caroline snorted. "Hah! Adulterous affair, you mean. And stop yelling at me, Bo. I am still your mother, and you will treat me with respect!"

"Respect is a two-way street, Ma. You haven't supported me once through all of mine and Hope's problems. She left me and took our daughter, and you defended her to me. For years now, Hope and I have been on this merry-go-round, and I was always the bad guy.

"Then, finally, just when I thought my life was over, I got Carly back." Bo paused, smiling wistfully, and when he resumed speaking, his tone was much softer. "I was happy, Ma, so happy. For just a few months, I knew what it was like to have someone love me for me, for the man I am. Carly didn't try and change me. She never wanted me to be anyone other than myself. Ma, I hadn't been that happy in years. And we would've made it this time, I know it. But I let everyone come between us, and now Carly's gone."

Caroline looked away, assuaged by unexpected guilt over her part in coming between Bo and Carly. She knew she'd been harsh on Carly, but when Carly had left Bo for Lawrence, Caroline had watched Bo sink to a new level of despair. When Carly had blown back into Salem, and Bo's life, Caroline had feared history would repeat itself. Bo had certainly had his ups and downs with Hope, but better the devil you know than the devil you don't, as Shawn had been so fond of saying.

"Son, I'm sorry that you're hurting, I really am, but you have to see that in the long-run, it's for the best that you and Carly have ended things. Ciara didn't like her; she would have never accepted Carly as her stepmother…"

"Ciara didn't have a chance to _know_ Carly, Ma! All she heard were the lies that people spread about Carly. But don't worry, Carly's gone. She won't see me, won't talk to me and she's doing it all for me. She wants me to work things out with Hope because she thinks it will make me happy. She's afraid of coming between me and my _family_."

"Bo, you never know, things could still work out between you and Hope."

At this, Bo folded his hands together on the table, in an effort not to pull his hair out in frustration. "Hope hated me so much that she tried to murder me, not once, but three times. I understand she was under the influence of those pills, but the doctors all say that they only lowered Hope's inhibitions. That means, Ma, that deep down inside of her, Hope would rather kill me than see me with another woman. And my own mother thinks I should work things out with the woman who wanted me dead. Now you tell me what I'm supposed to do with that, Ma, because I sure as hell don't know."

Bo was calm while he spoke to his mother. He never once raised his voice or gave any indication that he was angry, which only proved to Caroline how very upset he truly was.

"You know, Ma, I'm pretty tired and I don't seem to have much of an appetite. Ciara," he called to his daughter. "Come kiss Grandma. It's time to go home."

"Okay, Daddy." Ciara went and hugged her grandma while Bo gathered his daughter's things into her backpack. Taking Ciara's hand, he led her from the pub without a backward glance at his mother.

...

Carly locked her office and turned towards the elevators, bumping into Daniel as she did so. "Fancy meeting you here," she remarked dryly.

"Hey, I'm just heading home for an early dinner with Chloe."

"Yeah, I'm getting out of here before someone discovers I'm gone."

Carly mashed the elevator's call button and one immediately opened. Before either Carly or Daniel could enter, Melanie, sobbing and gasping for breath, ran out of the elevator and threw her arms around Carly.

"Mom!" Melanie called through her tears. "It's awful! It's just awful!"

Carly, thinking someone must be dead for Melanie to be in such a state, simply held onto her daughter and stroked her hair. Melanie continued bawling, her face buried in her mother's neck. She was mumbling, but neither Carly nor Daniel could make out what she was saying.

"Sweetheart," Daniel spoke gently, trying to get Melanie to raise her head, but Melanie only cried harder and held onto Carly. Through the wracking sobs both Carly and Daniel picked up on two words that Melanie seemed to keep repeating, _Phillip_ and _Chloe_.

"Baby, did something happen to Phillip and Chloe?" Carly asked. "Has there been some sort of…accident?" Carly and Daniel locked eyes over Melanie's head, and Daniel, breaking out into a cold sweat, turned and headed towards the nurses' station, intent on calling the ER to see if either his fiancé or his son-in-law had been brought in. Melanie's next words made his blood run cold and stopped him in his tracks.

"Accident?" she repeated, pulling away from Carly. "Yeah, I guess you could say there was an accident. They _accidentally_ screwed each other's brains out!"

Carly's eyes nearly popped out of her head as Daniel exclaimed, "What?"

Melanie laughed bitterly. "You heard what I said. My husband and your fiancé cheated on us because Chloe thought you and Mom were having an affair, and Phillip thought I slept with Nathan."

"What? When? What?" Daniel seemed to be stuck on that one word.

Carly, meanwhile, was battling a sudden bout of nausea. _Phillip_ was the one that Chloe cheated with? _Oh, fuck…_

"What'd you say?" Melanie asked, alerting Carly to the fact that she'd cursed aloud.

Carly dismissed the inquiry with a wave of her hand. "Nothing, what happened, Melanie? How did you…what makes you…why do you think Phillip and Chloe slept together?" _Shit, Manning,_ _quit stuttering!_

Melanie's eyes turned steely green. "Because I walked in on them discussing their relief that Chloe's paternity test proved that Dad was the baby's father and not Phillip. Imagine my surprise that my husband thought he might be a father…especially when I'm not the one who's knocked up!"

Melanie was getting louder by the minute, and they were beginning to draw a crowd. "Look, let's go to my office where we talk," Carly suggested, but Melanie shook her head.

"No. I want a drink. I want _a lot_ of drinks. Then I want to punch Phillip in the face for being a lowlife, cheating asshole who thought so little of me that he jumped into bed with his ex, who also happens to be _my father's_ fiancé!"

Daniel shook his head. "I don't believe it. Melanie, you must have misheard them. There's just no way…" _Chloe had cheated on him? She didn't think the baby was his?_ He didn't want to believe it, but dozens of little inconsistencies from the last few weeks began falling into place for him.

"They admitted it," Melanie interrupted him.

"Please, both of you," Carly was nearly begging. "Let's go somewhere we can talk in private." She was going to have to admit her part in this mess, and the sooner the better. She only prayed that Daniel and Melanie would somehow forgive her.

"Ask Mom if you don't believe me," Melanie stated, and Daniel looked to Carly as though he'd been punched in the gut.

"You knew? You knew that Chloe cheated on me…with _our_ daughter's husband?" Daniel stepped forward and grabbed Carly's arm, taking his anger out on her. "How could you do that to me, to Melanie?"

Melanie jumped into action and stepped between her parents. "No, Dad! No, listen to me! Mom didn't know that it was Phillip. She was trying to help Chloe, to protect you and she performed the paternity test for Chloe. She promised Chloe not to say anything to you if the test proved you were the father."

"How do you know all that?" Carly asked. Melanie didn't seem angry with her, but Carly couldn't be sure.

"Chloe told me. Once she realized that she and Phillip were caught, she started singing like a canary. I couldn't get her to shut up."

"I've got to go," Daniel said. "I've got to find Chloe. There just, there has to be another explanation." Daniel dashed off only to whirl around at the last minute. "I'm sorry," he said, pain blazing from his eyes. But Carly wasn't sure if the apology was directed at her or Melanie or both.

When Daniel disappeared from view, Carly turned back to Melanie, ready to throw herself on her daughter's mercy. Melanie lifted a hand as though to stop Carly saying what she was about to say.

"Save it. I know you were trying to help, and I know that if you had known it was Phillip…well, it doesn't matter now, is what I'm trying to say. Can we just get out of here?"

Nodding, Carly put her arm around Melanie's shoulders and led her daughter towards the elevators.

...

"Does this make me a bad mother?" Carly wondered as she handed Melanie a martini.

"No, this makes you the world's _best_ mother," Melanie assured Carly, the first signs of a smile crossing her face. The smile quickly turned into a grimace as Melanie tasted her drink. Her eyes watered and her throat burned as the vodka left a trail of fire in its wake. "Woah, that is _strong_!" Melanie began hacking in the aftermath.

"Sorry, baby," Carly laughed. "Guess I thought I was making it for me." She and Melanie had come back to Carly and Adrienne's where they had, thankfully, managed to get indoors without running into anyone. Carly had made Melanie her specialty, a martini, and Melanie was apparently not much of a vodka lover. "I can get you something else," Carly offered, but Melanie had already downed the contents of her glass. She shook her head at her mother and passed her the now-empty glass.

"Hit me again."

Carly eyed Melanie carefully, deciding that one more wouldn't harm her. She quickly mixed the drink, but didn't use quite as much _Goose_ as she did on the first. Melanie sipped more slowly this time, closing her eyes in an effort to fight off the tears that were blinding her. Carly stroked Melanie's hair, remaining quiet - letting everything happen on Melanie's terms. The shaking began; then the tears escaped, one by one, down alabaster cheeks. Carly took the half-empty glass and sat it on the coffee table. Then she turned back to Melanie and opened her arms. Melanie went gratefully, laying her head on her mother's shoulder and crying her eyes out.

Carly wept, too, for the cruel hand that fate had dealt her daughter. Melanie had been victimized in one way or another for her entire life, and it just made Carly so _furious_. As a mother, she had failed Melanie miserably, and now Phillip had failed her as her husband. Would the cycle of pain and suffering never end?

Melanie had gone quiet in Carly's arms, and Carly thought she might have fallen asleep. But Melanie jerked away from Carly and wiped her face with her hands. "No more of this," Melanie declared, determination shining in the eyes she had inherited from Carly. "We aren't gonna sit here and cry our eyes out over Bo and Phillip."

"Oh, I'm not…" Carly started to protest that she wasn't crying over Bo, but once again, Melanie interrupted her.

"Yes, you are. You love him, and you want to be with him. I get that. I also get why you left him. But, still, we aren't gonna hide away with our broken hearts."

"Okay," Carly said slowly, wondering where Melanie was headed on this current train of thought. "So what are we going to do?"

Melanie thought for a moment, then dashed over to Carly's laptop and pulled up Travelocity's website. "We're going on vacation!"

"We are?" Carly walked behind Melanie to look over her shoulder. Melanie's fingers were flying over the keys as she looked at various destinations.

"Nothing in Europe," Melanie mumbled. "I don't really want to go anywhere in the U.S., either. How about…oh, this is perfect! Let's go to Cancun!"

Carly's stomach felt like lead as she looked at the beautiful beaches of Cancun on the screen. "Honey, are you sure? I mean, we could go snow-skiing instead."

"In August? Don't be ridiculous, Mom. And I really don't want to go to Europe anyway. We need to go to the beach. Sun, sand, hot cabana boys…come on, Mom! It'll be fun."

Carly never thought she'd set foot in Cancun again and certainly not without Bo. But Melanie seemed so excited about the prospect of going to Mexico, that Carly was nodding her assent before she could think twice. "Cancun, here we come!"

 _That Famous Happy Ending_

"You're getting a little pink, baby," Carly scolded Melanie as they sat on the beach. She tossed the tube of sun-block at her daughter. "Here, put this on your cheeks." Melanie obediently slathered the white cream onto her face, hoping that Carly had not seen her sending a text.

It was Day Four of their _Make It Without Men_ vacation, as Melanie had laughingly dubbed it on the flight down. As Mrs. Phillip Kiriakis, Melanie had access to all of Phillip's money, including her very own black American Express card. Money may not buy happiness, but it had purchased two first-class tickets to paradise for them and a hell of a lot of booze.

Carly went back to her book without further comment, though, and Melanie heaved a sigh of relief. What she was up to was either going to end in glorious serendipity or go down in flames. Her main objective was to keep her mom completely in the dark about her little plan; hence the sneaking. With a little luck, by this time tomorrow, things would be drastically different, and Carly would finally get the happy ending that she deserved.

...

"Fifteen minutes," the guard warned as she escorted Hope into the visitors' room. Hope was hand-cuffed as per the prison rules, but it still gave Bo a turn to see her that way. She offered him a pitiful gaze and sat down in one of the plastic chairs across from Bo. Bo rubbed his hands together in an attempt to push aside the tide of nerves which threatened to overtake him.

"I know why you're here," Hope said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"I didn't realize you could read minds now," said Bo.

Hope smirked. "I don't have to read your mind, Brady; I only need to look into your eyes. You're sad, heartbroken, and you're carrying around the world's weight in guilt. How am I doing so far?"

Exhaling on a sigh, Bo closed his eyes, seeking patience. "Hope, you've been given a two-year sentence."

Hope rattled the handcuffs. "Really, Bo, I had no idea I'd even been incarcerated. Thank you _so_ much for clearing that up."

Refusing to give into her baiting, Bo went on. "You'll probably serve at least six months. So I brought these," Bo said, pulling out an envelope bearing the return address of Horton, Newcastle and Oberman, Mickey Horton's law firm. He pulled the divorce papers from the envelope and presented it to Hope. "And you're going to sign them."

Hope took the packet of papers from Bo, helpfully opened to the signature page. Bo, she couldn't help but notice, had already signed them and had his signature notarized. Looking up, she sharply raised one eyebrow.

"Hope, you've known for months that this was coming. It can't be a shock to you."

"Well, it is a shock to me when my husband tells me he wants to divorce me. Did you really think I'd just sign them on the spot?"

"Yeah, actually, that's _exactly_ what you're gonna do," Bo retorted. At a nod from Bo, the guard opened the door to admit one of the prison's administrative clerks. "Mrs. Simmons is a notary, Hope, and she's offered to notarize your signature." He handed Hope a pen.

Hope, forlorn, looked for some shred of sympathy in Bo's eyes; something she could use to her advantage to force Bo's hand and call his bluff. He _had_ to be bluffing. Hope simply could not accept that Bo would willingly give her up.

Whatever Hope was looking for could not be found.

Almost of its own accord, Hope's hand scrawled out her signature.

Hope's perspective shrank in that moment. The sounds of the prison faded around her to be replaced by the sound of the pen scratching against the paper. She was hyperaware of the breath burning in her lungs, the angry tears gathering in her eyes and the sound of her world crashing around her ears.

Mrs. Simmons took the papers from Hope and placed her own signature and notary seal in the space beneath Hope's. Then she handed the papers back to Bo, who placed them in the envelope and nodded his thanks to her as she left. Bo stood and opened his mouth, but the words he intended to say died on his lips. Hope sat looking at her hands, seemingly fascinated by the silver metal of the cuffs on her wrists. He truly hated hurting Hope, in spite of all that she had done to him. For the sake of their daughter, Bo thought he should at least part on something resembling amiable terms.

"I'll take good care of Ciara," Bo said quietly.

Hope gave no indication that she'd even heard Bo. He tried again.

"Look, I want you to know that despite what's happened, despite what you've done, I won't talk badly about you in front of our daughter. I won't let anyone else do it, either."

Hope, in an effort to play Bo one final time, allowed her shoulders to shake, the angry tears she'd been holding in spilling down her cheeks. Bo would interpret them as tears of sorrow, and then she'd have him again. This ruse had never before failed her. Finally lifting her head, she whispered, "She's better off without me. You can raise her with Carly."

But then Bo did something that dashed all of Hope's expectations to pieces. He tucked the envelope under his arm and said, "Hope, take care of yourself in here because frankly, I'm tired of doing it. I'm going to live my life and raise our daughter in a happy and healthy environment. Maybe by the time you get out of here, you'll be in a position to be a mother to Ciara again. I really do wish you well, Hope."

Then Bo was gone, and Hope was left alone.

...

Ciara watched her daddy as he carefully folded her clothes and placed them into her little pink and purple suitcase. His own bag was sitting packed by the front door. Ciara had been afraid at first when Grandma Caroline had brought her home from school and they'd found her daddy carrying his suitcase down the stairs. It had reminded her too much of when Mommy had taken her to Grandpa Doug's – Ciara had been afraid then because she hadn't wanted to leave Daddy.

But her daddy was whistling and smiling, and even though Grandma Caroline had yelled at Daddy some, he'd just kept smiling and said that he was happy, and he hoped someday Grandma would be happy for him. After Grandma left, Daddy seemed even happier to Ciara, and she started to get excited, too.

Bo took Ciara's bag in one hand and scooped up his daughter with his other arm. Ciara giggled and threw her arms around Bo's neck.

"Where are we going, Daddy?"

"We're going to a place that's very special to me, Little One. It's a beautiful place called Cancun. And I've got a great story to tell you about a princess named Marley and a prince named Joe."

"Did they live happily ever after?" Ciara asked.

"Let's go find out."

...

Melanie read the incoming text from Bo and had to bite the inside of her lip to keep her smile in check. She'd been a nervous wreck all morning, trying to stay one step ahead of Bo and Ciara, who had arrived in Cancun the night before. Melanie was determined to keep the knowledge of their presence from Carly until the last possible moment.

 _Less chance for Mom to run away,_ Melanie thought as she scanned the open beach. True to his text, Bo had Ciara by the hand and the pair was coming towards them. Carly was sound asleep in the lounge chair, unaware of what was about to take place. Melanie watched it all unfold in slow motion. Later she would not be able to relate the events to others without breaking into fits of giggles.

Ciara had a yellow plastic bucket in her hand, and when they were a few feet from Melanie and Carly, Bo nudged his daughter and she scampered into the breaking waves to scoop up a bucket of water. Bo took it from her and motioning for the little girl to be quiet, he broke into a run towards the woman he loved.

Just like on their honeymoon twenty years before, Carly remained unaware of Bo's presence until the cold Gulf water cascaded down on her bare belly. Flying up out of her chair, sunglasses falling from her face, Carly drew back her right hand, prepared to flatten the moron who'd dared wake her in such a manner.

She would have fallen to the ground in shock had Bo's arms not quickly gone around her to steady her. "Bo! What on earth are you doing here?"

"Oh, that?" Bo asked as though there were nothing at all unusual with gate-crashing his lover's vacation. "Well, see I told Ciara a story about Princess Marley and Prince Joe. She wanted to know how the story ended. So here we are. How does the story end, Princess?" Crystalline eyes stared at him for a split second before seeking out Ciara. She'd not even seen the little girl until Bo mentioned her. Ciara stood next to Melanie in a little red swimsuit, smiling brightly at Carly.

"Hi, Carly!" she said sweetly. "My daddy has been really sad without you. I don't like to see him sad. Will you make him happy again, please?"

Carly turned back to Bo to find the same ear-splitting grin on his face. "Yeah, Carly, please make me happy again."

Carly looked helplessly at Melanie, who knew instantly what her mother was asking. "Hey, Ciara, why don't we go exploring and give your dad a chance to talk to my mom?" After getting the okay signal from Bo, Ciara nodded and allowed Melanie to lead her away. They hadn't gone more than a few steps when Ciara broke away from Melanie and ran back to Bo and Carly. She hugged Bo, and Carly was pleasantly surprised when she received a brief hug from Ciara, as well. Then Ciara was off and running to Melanie, and Bo and Carly faced each other, alone, for the first time in weeks. Bo still had his arms loosely around Carly, and she was aware of every square inch of skin that was pressed against him. Clad in t-shirt and swim trunks, Bo was somewhat more covered than Carly who was wearing a red bikini that left nothing at all to the imagination.

Bo had no trouble whatsoever imagining. In fact, if he didn't get Carly behind closed doors soon, he was going to reenact another scene from their honeymoon – one of the many times they'd made love on the beach.

For her part, Carly was not unaffected by having her lover so close to her after such a long separation. Her mind kept telling her that she had left Bo for his own good. Her body, however, was telling her mind to shut the fuck up and keep its opinion to itself. Lust and love lay in Bo's eyes, and she knew she had to get some space between them if she was going to keep to her plan. The problem was that she couldn't for the sake of her own soul remember what the damned plan _was_.

"Can we talk?" Bo asked.

Carly only nodded and they left the beach area to go back to the hotel. If Carly was surprised that Bo had a room in the same resort as she and Melanie, she didn't question him. She suspected that her daughter had played a part in this little episode, but that was for a later discussion.

Bo opened the door to his two-bedroom suite and led Carly inside. He stopped just inside the door, forcing Carly to stop, too, her back against the door. Bo pinned her there with his body, his arms on either side of hers.

"Do you love me, Carly?"

"Bo, that isn't…" Her protest was cut off by Bo's finger against her lips.

"Don't give me any bullshit, Princess, just answer the question. Do you love me?"

Eyes brimming already with tears, Carly nodded slowly.

"Good," Bo said succinctly. "Because I love you, too."

"But, Bo, you have to do what's best for your family. It doesn't matter that we love each other!"

"It's _all_ that matters," Bo said passionately. Then he kissed her, and Carly forgot why she ever left Bo in the first place.

There was nothing gentle in the kiss. It was a kiss born of heat and flame, and it consumed them in its fires. Bo tore blindly at Carly's bikini top, snapping the strings and discarding the useless scraps of fabric somewhere behind him. His hands greedily squeezed her breasts, palming the succulent flesh and tweaking her nipples into pebbled points of painful arousal. A moan rose up from the fire building in her belly, and Carly began yanking at Bo's shirt. When his naked chest made contact with her bare breasts, they both moaned and Bo whispered against Carly's mouth, "Tell me you love me, Princess."

"I love you, Bo!"

Bo administered the same treatment to Carly's bikini bottoms. He couldn't resist brushing his fingers against the slippery cleft between her legs. "Tell me you won't leave me again." As though to drive home the force behind his words, he thrust two fingers inside her. Her inner muscles clamped down on them like a vice, and Bo groaned in his desire to feel that tightness around his cock.

"I won't leave you, I swear!"

Bo fused their mouths together and helped Carly push down his swim trunks. Arms and legs tangled, they half-walked, half-stumbled to the bed. Carly's hand on his cock was quickly driving Bo to madness and beyond. With proof of her arousal still on his fingers, Bo seized her hand and laced their fingers together. With his other hand, he guided himself into her wet flesh.

The room quickly filled with the sounds and scents of their love-making. Bo stroked in and out of her, alternating between long, slow thrusts and short, fast ones. Carly met him each and every time, welcoming him into her body as she'd done a thousand times before. More than a joining of their flesh, this was a reunion of their souls. For in all their time apart, one thing was apparent to both of them – neither was whole without the other.

"Open your eyes," Bo commanded. "I want to see your eyes when you come." Then his fingers were manipulating her clit, watching her eyes for the exact second that she would fall over the edge. Carly came hard, her muscles quivering around him, and Bo answered with a mind-blowing orgasm of his own.

Bo rolled to his back, pulling Carly with him. They lay naked and panting, soaking in the sounds and feeling of the other. "I missed you," Carly said quietly. She placed a kiss over his still-pounding heart.

"I don't want to be without you anymore, Princess. I meant what I said."

Carly shifted a bit so she could look at Bo. "I meant it, too, Bo. I love you and I won't ever leave you again."

"That's good because I was going to give you this, and it would be a little awkward if you were to shoot me down now." Bo reached underneath his pillow and pulled out Carly's North Star necklace. He'd kept it all these years, unable to part with an object that had meant so much to the both of them. He'd made an addition to the chain, though, and a three-stone diamond ring now hung next to the star.

"Bo?" Uncertainty was prevalent in Carly's tone.

"Don't say no just yet. Here me out, at least. I want you to marry me. I'm done with Hope, for good. I've got a copy of our filed divorce papers with me, but the real proof is in my heart. It only beats for you, Princess. You brought me back to life when you came barreling into my living room that night."

Carly laughed a little there, even as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I know it won't be easy, Princess. We'll piss off a lot of people. But at the end of the day, if I can come home and find you playing with Ciara in our backyard or letting her help you in the kitchen, if I can lie next to you at night and know that my ring is on your finger and that you finally share my last name, then I won't give a good goddamn what anybody else thinks because I'll have you, and you'll have me, and that's all that really matters to me." Bo unfastened the chain and pulled the ring from it. He held it carefully out to Carly. "So what do you say, Princess? Will you be my wife?"

Carly's left hand rose from Bo's chest, and he slid the ring on her slender finger. "Oh, yes, Sailor, I'll be your wife."

Later that night, Bo tucked a sleepy Ciara into her bed. Melanie, worn out from a day of entertaining a five-year old, had delivered Ciara along with a bag of Carly's things from their hotel room to Bo and Carly after dinner, kissed her mother and taken herself to bed. Carly had helped Ciara with her bath and bedtime rituals and had sent her off to Bo for a bedtime story. Ciara has seemed a bit reticent a few times, but overall, she seemed to take to Carly much better than she had during their earlier encounters. She watched from the doorway as Bo kissed his little girl goodnight. Ciara seemed to be whispering to Bo, but Carly couldn't hear what she was saying.

"Hey, Princess, come here," Bo called to her. "Ciara wants to ask you something."

"What is it, sweetheart?" Carly settled on the bed in front of Bo and smiled when she felt his arm go around her waist.

"Daddy says you know the story about Princess Marley and Prince Joe. Do you?"

Carly smiled broadly and patted Ciara's hand. "I do know that story. Your daddy and I used to tell your brother Shawn Douglas that story when he was about your age."

Ciara nodded sagely. "That's what Daddy told me. But he's so silly he couldn't remember how the story ends. Do you remember, Carly? Did Marley and Joe live happily ever after?"

Carly smiled again at Ciara and leaned over and kissed her forehead. Then with a glance back at Bo, Carly answered Ciara's question. "Yes, honey. Marley and Joe lived happily ever after."


End file.
